Zexe

Zexe was the Royal Guard of Mirith and regarded as one of the city's major heroes.

Zexe's story is tightly connected to the history of Mirith and Andris up to the Lancaster Wars. During his life, he was thought to be the murderer of two Senators. First was Winston, to whom Zara Falvo had been promised in marriage. Rumour had it by then that Zexe would have hired the Hauksen family for the job, who he knew through Willow, his childhood friend. At the same time, Zexe was having a secret love affair with Zara, who may have not been too pleased to learn of the assassination and subsequently led a vendetta against the mercenary family. The truth on the matter has never been found and, these days, Winston's death is probably attributed to Lancaster.

Two years later, in 425, after Yadeth kidnapped Tirana, Zexe lead the chase that would eventually end with the death of the then leader of the Black Hand. Shortly after, though, during the destruction of Yadeth's Poison Forges, Zexe was badly wounded by the Twins. Zexe had gone with a small task force to lure the Twins away from the Forges, by using the Ring of Thievery as bait. Thanks to this diversion, the larger Mirithian forces were able to destroy the Forges, but at great cost. What exactly the Twins did to him, was unknown.

In a letter to King Galandir, Nafets wonders why the injury had never been reported, and laments how it is hard for him to find a cure, without knowing the cause of the illness. At the time, the Royal Cleric of Mirith enlisted the healer of Marali, Altaira Mei, to help him treating his patient, but they were not successful. The cause of the illness was never made clear until almost two and a half years later, when Sieglinde returned to Oberin. Sieglinde had always been close to Zexe, and was a part of his task force on the day of the injury. In the words of Sieglinde, the Twins "had used horrible magic to cause his skin to crack and bleed at the slightest movement, and for the simplest strain to cause his inner muscle tissues to tear".

In the same letter, Nafets begs to the King for permission to seek the Centaurs. Zexe would be insisting that he had seen a Centaur not long before, and the cleric, out of despair, agreed that it would be worth trying to pay a visit to the elusive race. In the same letter, he tells of how Elefin had been visiting Zexe, more worried with what the Royal Guard would have to say than with his health condition.

Additionally, the cleric suggests that another Royal Guard is appointed until Zexe's full recovery - a recovery that he was not expecting to happen at any time soon. That will eventually happen some time later, through the negotiations of Amalphus Vei, and Birek McCalla is named temporarily for the post.

Coming back in time, a few days after Nafets' letter, a group of adventurers, that included Asliendor and Elefin, run into a Centaur and requests that his elders would accept to see the wounded warrior.

In Andris, things looked more joyful. The Senator Gordon Lancaster was preparing the first Blue Moon Festival, expected to be a large festivity gathering people from all corners of Oberin. The festival is a success, except for one significant and tragic event: the body of Senator Waltham is found dead near a fountain, inside the walls of the city.

With a collection of clues strategically placed, Lancaster manages to incriminate Zexe for a second crime against Andris. Even though the fighter was out of combat, people are lead to believe that he was, in fact, the murderer of Waltham. The final proof was produced by Araine, daughter of Beleth, in a letter sent to Lancaster. There, she reveals that she had been cleaning Zexe's room, and found his boots covered in mud, and the insignia from his robe ripped in half. As it happens, one of the few evidences in Waltham's body had been a fragment of Mirith insignia attached to a bit of grey cloth. When put together, the two halves matched perfectly.

After Waltham's death, Lancaster takes over his position of Speaker for the Senate of Andris. In a public announcement, he declares that the murdering of the Blue Moon had been probably connected with the murdering of Winston, attributing both to Mirith.

Andris and Mirith are on the verge of war. To make things worse, Mirith refuses to have Zexe tried in Andris, as requested by Senator Morgans in a formal visit to Mirith. After the meeting, Lancaster announces that Morgans had vanished, and her escort back to Andris found dead.

A few weeks later, Amalphus Vei, still as negotiator of the Crown, is sent to Andris to arrange the conditions of the trial. The most pervasive opinion is that accepting that Zexe is to be tried at all, also means accepting he will be found guilty. Around that time, Darkstar appears to Sieglinde announcing that the Black Hand is plotting to murder Zexe that night. Thanks to her warning, the attack is caught in time, Zexe escapes.

Shortly after, Morgans makes a timely appearance. She tells Nafets and Birek that her escort had been attacked by mercenaries under orders to take her life. She had been saved by the intervention of Zara Falvo. From Zara, Morgans had learned of Lancaster's betrayal, and that he had been the mastermind of Waltham's assassination and the war between the cities. Morgans, and later Anderson as well, ask for the protection of Mirith and leave Andris.

In the meanwhile, Nafets had not given up from trying to heal Zexe, and organises an expedition to the Centaurs' cave. The patient who had been kept still under the sedative effects of a Silver Dragon Claw, is made to stand up to be escorted to the Cave. The catastrophic results of that expedition are well known, with Elefin revealing herself the new leader of the Black Hand, killing dozens of Centaurs, and killing also Zexe, with the Blood Dagger.

Some days later, Mirith held the funerals of her former Royal Guard. Many people were present, and eulogies were proffered. Suddenly, the ghost of Zexe appears, screaming in pain, and shouting the word "dagger". The funeral is interrupted, and Beleth is sent to investigate.

The Royal Mage finds a book with the information that the Blood Dagger keeps the souls of those it wounds, and that the destruction of the dagger means the destruction of the souls imprisoned in it. That information leads Galandir on a determined search for the dagger. In order to destroy the object, Mirith would need a Golden Box found in Aborek on the fatal day when Elefin acquired the dagger, while she was still regarded as an ally of Mirith.

But it was not the end of the unpleasant surprises in Mirith. Some days later, Elefin and the Twins attack the city in order to kidnap Serene. During the attack, Tirana declares her alliance with the Black Hand, and flees with the offenders. It is also made clear that Elefin's association is now working for Lancaster in Andris.

Fortunately, the two main agents of the Black Hand, Rasha and Varsha, were discontent with their leader. Eventually, they propose a deal with Mirith: they will lure Elefin to the city to be killed, and Marali is to be left alone for their planned siege in the North. The first part of the deal goes according to the plan.

Once Elefin arrives, the dagger is snatched by Darkstar. However, the blade turns against the rogue. Eventually Nafets manages to remove it from the girl's chest and passes it to Seth, who had been asked to help Mirith with the task of destroying the dagger with the Golden Box. As predicted, with the destruction of the dagger, the souls in it are destroyed as well. Except one. Zexe's soul refuses to leave.

Joining efforts, Nafets and Seth manage to bring the former Royal Guard back to life. His resurrection is welcomed by Zara, and the two reassume their former relationship.

Back to his strength, Zexe joins Birek in the fight against Lancaster and the liberation of Andris. The success is partial. Andris is freed, but Lancaster escapes with the Curio. Some time later, both will be leading the expedition that finally kills the former Senator in his newly built hideout, the Ice Dungeon.

It was not the end of bad news to Andris nor of Zexe's involvement with the death of senators. During the days when Andris was being rebuilt, Birek and Zexe visit Senator Morgans after a class. A book had been found, proving the connection between Lancaster and the Black Hand, as well as he would send to Marali parts of the Andrisian treasury. Worse than that, Senator Robertson had been his accomplice in the process. However, the purpose of the visit was also to announce that Zexe's men had killed Roberston that morning, while he escorted prisoners from Andris to Port Gast, with the help of a group of brigands. At first, they are not believed, but Morgans herself produces the final piece of evidence against Robertson. A letter addressed to him by a certain "M", asking to go to Port Gast to learn of the whereabouts of the Curio.

Not much is recorded about Zexe in the following years. Attention was then turned to Marali under siege. It is only in the Bleeding Moon of 428 that Zexe's name appears in the surviving documents dealing with historical events. This time, to tell of his death, fighting valiantly in the last battle against the Eye. Never to come back for a third time.